Bengaluru to revise water tariffs by 0.15 paise to Rs 1.90, depending on usage
Bengaluru, April 9 (PTI): The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is set to revise water tariffs to offset its ever growing expenditure, said Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar on Wednesday.
An official order notifying the new rates will be issued on April 10, he added.
Speaking to the media at the BWSSB headquarters on Wednesday, Manohar said Bengaluru has witnessed rapid growth in both population and geographic spread over the past decade.
BWSSB, an autonomous body without government subsidies, relies heavily on water charges as its primary source of revenue, he said.
“Over the past 10 years, electricity costs have risen by 107 per cent, while maintenance expenses have increased by 122.5 per cent,” he added.
According to him, despite a monthly expenditure of Rs 200 crore, the Board currently collects only Rs 120 crore, resulting in a monthly deficit of Rs 80 crore.
"To bridge this financial gap and improve service delivery, a rational and modest tariff revision has been proposed," said Manohar.
Under the domestic category, the proposed tariff hike includes an increase of 0.15 paise per litre, for up to 8,000 litres. For 8,001 to 25,000 litres, an increase of 0.30 paise per litre and between 25,001 and 50,000 litres, an increase of 0.80 paise per litre and above 50,001 litres, an increase of Re 1 per litre are proposed.
For high-rise domestic buildings, till 2,00,000 litres, an increase of 0.30 paise per litre is proposed. While 2,00,001 to 5,00,000 litres, will see an increase of 0.60 paise per litre and above 5,00,001 litres, an increase of Re 1 per litre.
For non-domestic usage, a flat hike of 0.90 paise per litre is proposed for bulk usage. While up to 10,000 litres will cost Re 1 per litre more and from 10,001 to 25,000 litres, Rs 1.30 per litre. Between 25,001 and 50,000 litres, an increase of 1.50 paise per litre is proposed. For 50,001 to 75,000 litres, there will be an increase of 1.90 paise per litre.
But for 75,001 to 1,00,000 litres, the hike is only Rs 1.10 per litre and above 1,00,000 litres, it is Rs 1.20 paise per litre, said Manohar.
He also said following the recommendations of the Karnataka State Administrative Reforms Commission, BWSSB has decided to adopt an annual 3 per cent increase in water tariff starting April 1 every year.
The revised tariff will reflect in bills issued from May onwards.
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Poet Yahya Bootwala slams makers of Akshay Kumar's 'Kesari 2' for 'stealing' his work as dialogue
Mumbai: Popular poet Yahya Bootwala has accused the makers of Akshay Kumar’s ‘Kesari 2’ of plagiarising lines from one of his poems without permission or credit.
In a post shared on Instagram, Bootwala pointed out striking similarities between a dialogue delivered by actor Ananya Panday in the film and his poem titled ‘Jallianwala Bagh’ which was published five years ago on the YouTube channel UnErase Poetry. He also shared video clips comparing the two.
‘As writers, the worst thing you can do to a fellow writer is to pick up their material, blatantly use it without giving credits, and this is what I feel dialogue writer @sumit.saxena.35912 has done,” Bootwala wrote in a strongly-worded statement.
Calling it a “clear copy paste,” he accused the makers of openly using his lines without any attempt to modify the material.
While he acknowledged that people’s thoughts and thinking patterns can be similar, Bootwala stressed that writing almost the same lines on a particular topic is not a coincidence.
“Next time you can directly get in touch with me, main likh dunga original dialogues aapke liye,” remarked Bootwala.
The poet requested his fans and followers to amplify his voice, urging them to tag prominent names associated with the film, including Karan Johar, director Karan Singh Tyagi, and actors Akshay Kumar and Ananya Panday. “If you’ve ever connected with my work, help this reach them,” he wrote.
